"Chinese Garlic, Dirty and Dangerous"… US Lawmaker's Criticism Sparks Outrage in China

"Chinese Garlic Harvested Under Unsanitary Conditions"
"Child Labor Also Involved"
US Lawmaker's Claim Met with Chinese Media Saying "Nonsense When They Speak"

A U.S. senator who sparked controversy by claiming that Chinese garlic was cultivated using human feces and sewage has once again made 'China-targeted remarks,' drawing widespread criticism within China.

According to Chinese local media such as Guancha.cn on the 12th, Senator Rick Scott (Florida) issued a statement on the 10th saying, "Garlic grown by the Chinese Communist Party poses a significant threat to U.S. food security." Senator Scott claimed, "There are reports that garlic in China is cultivated using human feces and harvested under unsanitary conditions, involving forced labor and child labor in the process."

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In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he expressed serious concerns about the management of imported Chinese food ingredients, including garlic, urging for necessary investigations. He also requested the Department of Labor to include Chinese garlic in the 'list of products produced using child labor or forced labor.'

This is not the first time Senator Scott has made such claims. He has long propagated the 'Chinese garlic threat theory,' and Chinese local media pointed out that his statements are part of a broader campaign to instill fear about Chinese food products. The media added that if imports of Chinese garlic to the U.S. were banned, garlic prices would rise, benefiting California, the largest garlic-producing region in the U.S.

Earlier, at the end of last year, Senator Scott also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging an investigation into Chinese garlic. In that letter, he stated, "There are public health concerns regarding the quality and safety of garlic grown overseas, especially in China." In response, China's state-run English newspaper Global Times sarcastically commented in an editorial, "Apart from Western legends about vampires, it is hard to find anyone with such baseless fears about garlic." It also emphasized, "China strictly adheres to export garlic safety technical cultivation standards, including the fertilizers and irrigation water used as well as air quality."

Rick Scott, U.S. Republican Senator. Photo by UPI

Meanwhile, on the 11th (local time), the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill banning the sale of Chinese refrigerated and fresh garlic at military base commissaries. China is the world's largest garlic exporter, and the U.S. is one of the major consumers of Chinese garlic. As the second Trump administration was about to begin, tensions were escalating not only in key industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors but also in the food sector, prompting sharp reactions from Chinese citizens. Regarding Scott's remarks, China's state-run Global Times called them "nonsense every time he opens his mouth," and Chinese netizens also expressed critical responses.